Therapeutic riding classes now offered at Lake Erie College

Lake Erie College students Michaela Shock, left, and Ashley Bobbert groom "Puddles" to prepare him for the Therapeutic Riding Program open house Thursday at the George M. Humphrey Equestrian Center.

For several years, equine studies students at Lake Erie College have been able to take a concentration in therapeutic riding, but they have had to find practical classes outside of the college.

That will change soon when the school debuts its eight-week, community therapeutic riding course.
LEC students studying therapeutic riding will serve as class assistants and horse leaders during the sessions. Intended for young students ages 8 to 12, the program will fit in with the classroom studies of the LEC students.

“Lake Erie has been teaching therapeutic riding for quite a while, but those were classroom courses designed to give the students the basic academic information needed,” said Pam Hess, dean of the School of Equine Studies and assistant professor of equine studies. “They would have to go down to Fieldstone Farm (Therapeutic Riding Center in Bainbridge Township) for some experiential learning or maybe a facility in their home town over the summer.”

Teresa Morris, Fieldstone Farm’s programming specialist and certified riding instructor, said the young community riders participating in the therapeutic program will have a course based on an individual assessment and course goals. Morris, adjunct faculty at LEC, is the classroom instructor for the program.

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“It will probably be more beginning riding skills and horsemanship,” she said. “There’s a lot of horsemanship skills on the ground, too. Learning good behavior and communication, both things that are directly relatable back to their own lives.”

While spaces in the program may be limited, organizers are not limiting therapeutic requirements for the community participants.

“We’re not going to specify disabilities or therapeutic need,” Morris said. “It’s an eight-week program. They come and get what they can from the program. It could be a child who is very impulse. It could be a child who has recently experienced a loss or death in the family and who is actively involved in the grief process. It could be a range of therapeutic needs.”

Horses impact a rider physically, emotionally, socially and cognitively, she added. There’s benefits not only to the riders, but also to the LEC students who will be leading the horses.

“When you have a rider on a horse, and you’re leading that horse, it’s a different skill set,” Morris said. “It’s a higher level horsemanship skill, but it’s an important skill they need to learn. (The LEC students) are also learning how to be really good communicators. They’re the ones directly walking with the students.”

The horses to be utilized in the program belong to the college, but Morris and her LEC students have been working with the animals since September.

“We have a handful that we know are going to work really well in the program. They have to be sound, have the right temperament, and they have to be tolerant,” she said. “It’s fabulous that we have access to these horses because they’re all well trained. The good thing about these horses is that they’ve seen everything and done everything.

“They’ve got different riders every week, so that’s not going to be hard for them,” Morris added. “They’ll be going a little bit slower than they’re used to, which is the hard part. A good therapy horse isn’t the one that’s slow and dull, it’s one that’s very attentive and willing to work.”

Those interested in learning more about the therapeutic riding program can contact Morris at tmorris@lec.edu.

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